It’s 8 am and people have been steadily coming to their mats, filling the yoga shala. I am seated in a crossed legged position, I nod to them as they come through, close my eyes for a minute and open them again. Good morning everyone, let’s start with lying down in Shavasana, hands and feet 45 degrees away from the body, your palms facing up… relax!
Yoga is unique in its ability to make you connect with strangers at a rather deep, emotional level. You might have never met any of the souls in front of you and yet, they’ll be following your precise instructions into a journey of self discovery. That’s what Yoga is, really, a great methodology for controlling your emotions, calming your mind and getting closer to your true self.
I love doing it and every style is appealing to me. Iyengar, Ashtanga, Scaravelli, Yin, the many variations of Hatha and “flow” Vinyasa and the much more esoteric Tantric and Kundalini of Yogi Bhajan versions. Even the yoga in the gym, hot or power yoga, even the most physically geared, commercially taught, aerobics like exercise is great to me. As far removed from it’s Indian, philosophical and spiritual origin it might be, every kind of Western manifestation of Yoga is an initial, distant relative of the practices collected in Patanjali’s Sutras and re-elaborated into Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda.
The boom of yoga started in the 70s and gradually developed into a myriad of schools, Teacher Training Courses, retreats and drop-in classes from Seattle to Athens via Stockholm and Moscow. Global in its reach, this beautiful discipline is incorporated in the lives of 15 million Americans and half million Brits. Although yoga in the West is synonymous with the practice of gymnastic-like asanas (physical postures), regular practitioners will, sooner or later, experience transcendental states of spirituality and deep connection within that no sport is able to provide.
Even a very scientifically minded computer scientist or mathematician, with constant practice, is likely to experience a hint of magic. Because the feeling of losing and finding oneself is strongly embedded in the Yoga DNA. To seek a very different state of consciousness, increased awareness, expanded mental capacity and focus, a feeling of internal void or total fullness is very possible, available to anyone. Try adding meditations, visualizations, control of the breath (pranayama), sounds (mantras), gestures (mudras), locks (bandhas) and a bit of intention to the physical postures. Repeat it long enough and you’ll know what I mean.
Sure yoga is good for general wellbeing. It is proven to decrease stress and anxiety, may reduce inflammation, it is good for heart health and chronic pain and even depression. Yet, if you are lucky enough to go a little deeper, if you really fall in love with it, Yoga has the potential to be so transformational and life-changing, you’ll be eternally grateful to the teacher in the community centre, chain of gyms or other places that initiated you in the practice.
One of the wonderful properties of Yoga is that it is open source. Very open source indeed, so much so every teacher, even teachers trained in very strictly taught methodologies like the Sivananda tradition, can adapt and innovate, blend and personalise it. Because once you feel the energy and the connection, there’s really nothing wrong you can do. You will transcend the rationality of the mind, the structure of the teachings and method of the sequence and start following your instinct, or higher self. This mellow feeling of perfection and connection will bring you to a space, a universe of calmness and reflection, an inner journey of self-discovery with unlimited potential.
This way I can seemingly blend a simplified Sivananda sequence, with postures held for longer where participants visualise streams of energy from the ground or the sky, eyes closed and stimulating the opening of chakras, Tantric style.
Being very present while leading a class is more powerful than meditating alone. I particularly love directing a Yoga Nidra like final relaxation which brings everyone, and myself, to a conclusion where prana (life force) is balanced and homogeneously spread through every part of the body. Teaching increases the bond with the guests at the resort where I work, so when I see them later in the day, wearing my nutritionist hat, the conversation flows more smoothly, there is a stronger connection.
Are teachers less true to themselves when they move away from a tradition and dip into another? When does creating a flow or slowing down the sequence make sense in the context of a class? As much as it is important to keep an established tradition pure, Pattabhi Jois, the founder of Ashtanga, openly admitted he had refined some of the sequences of postures given him by Krishnamacharya. B.K.S. Iyengar developed his own system with particular emphasis on form and alignment, following painful injuries in his youth. Bikram Choudhury tried to copyright his sequence, claiming it could not be taught or presented by anyone whom he had not authorized. Well, he lost in the courts as Yoga is not copyrightable subject matter. It is free for everyone to learn, practice, teach, live and adapt.
As it is written in the Bhagavad Gita, one of the most important philosophy books, “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” We are all unique individuals, with different perceptions of the world, all similar yet different. Yoga is an open source, customisable and innovatable creative practice with many forms, shapes and colours. The many styles, many teachers and traditions are all exciting, inspiring, all different yet great. They all prepare and lead you to the ultimate goal, to live a meditative life.
It doesn’t matter where you are starting, any place will do, any school, any teacher, will bring a bit of magic to your day to day routine. Do it enough and you might change your ways with alcohol, food and stimulants, what you read and watch for entertainment. Your approach to the community you are part of, your working life and relationships will be improved. You might start having a personal practice at home and lead a yogic lifestyle. Yoga transformed my life and if you give it a chance, it has the potential to change yours too.